A nautical mural thought to be a myth turned out to be quite real when it was uncovered during routine termite work on a bank in Sausalito.
The two-story tile mural spells out "Bank of America Sausalito Cal" in international maritime signal flags, on the back of the BofA branch on Bridgeway, the tourist thoroughfare. The mural, unseen for 40 years, is on the exterior side facing the bay, in case a wayward yacht pulls into the harbor looking for an emergency loan.
After a six-month makeover, the artwork was unveiled without fanfare when the bank opened for business Monday. The unnamed and unsigned mural is open to anyone who walks or drives by, and will draw attention to the redone bank, originally designed by William Wurster, the famed mid-century minimalist, and completed in 1956.
Wurster's partner, Donn Emmons, came up with the idea to put a mural on the Humboldt Avenue side, which faces the bay, and commissioned Marin artist Raymond Rice to draw it up.
"In the '70s, for reasons unknown, the mural was covered up with wood siding," says David Mendoza, the West Coast archivist for Bank of America in San Francisco. "During (recent) renovations, they uncovered the mural, and it took everybody by surprise."
This includes Scott McCage, senior project manager for Gensler, the architecture firm hired to remediate rotten wood on the bank's exterior. McCage went to the Sausalito planning department, where he was told by planner Heidi Scoble, "There is this urban myth that there is a mural on the building somewhere. Is it there? Is it not there? Nobody knew."
Plans submitted during a 1972 renovation of the building called for a "full demolition of the mural," says McCage. "It was definitely a surprise to see it was still there."
The siding had been nailed through the tile, creating holes and cracks. Fully restoring the mural would have cost an estimated $500,000, so instead, individual tiles - 4-inch squares - were removed and matched, six colors and two textures. The old mural has been preserved behind a protective membrane, and an entirely new matching mural has been set over it.
"We support anything that feeds into Sausalito's maritime history as a working waterfront, and the mural seems to be in keeping with that spirit," says Larry Clinton, president of the Sausalito Historical Society. "It is very colorful and a great addition to the waterfront."
During the 1972 renovation, the bank was de-Wursterized. The cantilevered roof line was cut back and the building uniformly painted a bland gray, with blue detail. The latest renovation began last summer and has gone to great lengths to "pay homage to William Wurster and the original design," McCage says.
The bank has been reclad in stained cedar, and the exposed steel beams have been repainted in their original international orange. Take away the bright red cash machines punctured into its frontage, and the building now looks like a Wurster beach house in Stinson.
"It's an improvement to take the wood off," says Charlotte Mastrangelo, who moved to Sausalito in 1958 and was examining the mural from the park across the street. "I don't know why they covered it up in the first place."
Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @samwhitingsf
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